Widow's Walk
by Audra Lachesis
Summary: Carson has a history of off-world missions gone terribly wrong, and he's not the only one who's noticed. Beckett/Cadman, Weir PoV


**Title:** Widow's Walk

**Summary:** Carson has a history of off-world missions gone terribly wrong, and he's not the only one who's noticed.

**Spoilers/Tags:** for both 'Michael' and 'Inferno' in season two

**Blame:** chasingkerouac, as per usual, ^_^

***

The event horizon of the stargate dissipated with an audible snap, and Elizabeth Weir watched soberly as the Alpha Site team relinquished their packs to the orderlies. Carson looked especially dejected as he handed off a metal suitcase of some medical equipment or another, and Elizabeth's eyes automatically strayed to the far side of the balcony, the section just hidden in shadow.

The familiar head of blond hair hadn't moved yet, but as soon as Carson spoke up, wearily telling one of the handlers to be careful with that, they might still manage to salvage some useful data, the figure turned, and melted back into the shadows.

Elizabeth wasn't sure when exactly she had first noticed the ritual. All she knew was that any time Carson Beckett went off world, he protested loudly, came back resigned and sometimes battered, and Laura Cadman watched from the gallery to make sure he was back in one piece. She never stayed long enough for Carson to see her -- just long enough to reassure herself that his record for abysmally wretched off-world experiences hadn't gotten him seriously injured or killed yet.

This time, however, as Elizabeth descended the steps to meet the off-world team, she noticed that Carson's eyes flicked up along the balcony, almost as if he were searching for someone. And the brief flicker of disappointment in his eyes was hard to miss, if you were looking for it.

He masked it quickly, however, and focused on Elizabeth with a resigned expression. "I don't think you'll be able to shoulder all the blame for this one, Elizabeth," he told her. "He walked right out of the base camp, Teyla in tow -- and now we've got a bloody rogue Wraith on the loose with knowledge of Atlantis' continued existence."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly, and clasped her hands in front of her. "And that's hardly your fault alone, Carson. My office, please, once everyone's through safe and sound. I need to know how bad it is, and start with damage control."

"Aye, Colonel Sheppard and Ronon should be along shortly with Teyla," Carson sighed, and hefted another case of medical equipment.

Elizabeth nodded her acknowledgment, and retreated to her office in preparation for what promised to be a very messy debriefing.

***

Much later that night, when Carson was probably huddled over his laptop reviewing the data they'd managed to collect from Michael before his escape, Elizabeth found Cadman in the mess, nursing a cup of coffee. She poured her own cup silently and slid into the empty seat across from the lieutenant without a word.

"Busy day," Laura said soberly, not looking up.

"An understatement," Elizabeth replied, sipping her coffee. "Does he know?"

"Know what?"

"That you watch all the incoming wormholes when he's off world, just to make sure he makes it back all right."

A ghost of a smile quirked on Laura's face. "Nope. And with all due respect, ma'am, he really doesn't need to know."

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, eyeing the woman across from her. Cadman wasn't a meek little maiden by any stretch of the imagination -- she had already demonstrated considerable ability to recognize what she wanted and take steps to get it. This particular subterfuge both intrigued and worried Elizabeth.

"Why not?" she asked curiously.

Laura looked up, her own expression completely serious. "Because Carson is very important to the survival of this expedition, and the last thing he needs is me distracting him."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, conceding the point, and stared down into her coffee mug. The two women said nothing for several moments.

"Given recent developments, there's a very strong chance we'll be facing another Wraith siege sooner rather than later," Elizabeth said finally. "If that's the case, I hope you decide to tell him. There may not be any other chance, you know." She smiled tightly. "Sometimes a little distraction is welcome, lieutenant."

Laura didn't even look up as Elizabeth disposed of her mug and left the mess.

***

The air within the gateroom shimmered as the _Daedalus_ transferred Colonel Sheppard and his crew, along with Narina and several dozen refugees from Taranis. Even from her usual vantage point, Elizabeth could tell Sheppard was already bouncing with anticipation to tell her about the _Orion_ and it's capabilities, and Rodney was one breath away from yelling for Zelenka to quit futzing with whatever inane project he had today and pull up the hyperdrive specs for an Aurora-class battleship.

Carson nodded distractedly to some question from one of the refugees, his eyes already scanning the balcony.

In the far corner, still half-hidden in the shadows, he spotted Laura Cadman, and smiled.

***

END


End file.
